Rocket Chronicles, Book Five: Grey Skies
by Mikichu
Summary: Jessie asks James a question he'd rather not answer, when suddenly she loses it and storms off, alone. On her trek, she is kidnapped! Can James get her back?
1. Chapter 1

Mikichu: So, Jessie, is it alright if I kill someone?

Jessie: WUT!!?? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (and so on until our eardrums implode)

James: Uhh... who are you killing?

Mikichu: Someone... and their death will insure pure heartbreak... and happiness.

Jessie: Happiness?! Is Jessibelle dying?! 8D

James: (crossing fingers) _Please please please..._

Mikichu: No... Probably not.

James and Jessie: Aw crap.

Camera dude: Guys...? You're on...

Mikichu: OH!! Uh... ANNNDDDD here we are, at Book Number Five: Grey Skies! I've had to do this in secret, but after this, I won't be grounded anymore! :D So I'll be able to update more often! I'm really anticipating Monday... that's when I'll be home on Fanfiction with no interuptions! So get ready for updates! :D ...Wait, why am I doing smilies with such a dark title? O.o That's weird. Oh, and I've never got a bullet removed so I'm not sure of the process or how soon it has to be done... so I'll need someone to tell me... if you please. If I don't know I'll keep writing without getting it removed and then it might be too late... and Jimmy will go **X_X** and Jessie and Mikichu will be sad, not to mention JamesLuver and Wolfy. And then the four of us will reminise memories while eating cookies from his secret stash under his bed. Wait... sorry James. I guess everyone knows now... Hehe... (nervous laugh)

James: Jessie can I borrow your chainsaw? (evil look)

Jessie: (also evil look) Sure!

Mikichu: (gulp) Uh... well... on with the story... or Mikichu is gonna be the one to go **X_X...**

...

Meowth screamed again, trying to fight back. He hadn't trained in a while so he was quite rusty, so he was basically just waving his paws everywhere, his claws unsheathed.

Suddenly, his attacker stopped and looked him over. Meowth opened one eye and smiled. "Lumie! It's you!"

Luminia bowed her head. "Meow Meowth." (Translation: Sorry Meowth.)

Meowth shrugged. "Naw, it's fine. You probably tought I was some strong Pokemon and you were just defendin' yerself," Meowth attemped to flex or something.

Jessie's face took on a dull look. "I don't see anything."

"Hey!" Meowth shouted, turning around towards Jessie. "At least my arm doesn't sag when I do dat!"

James snorted despite the pain in his shoulder. He would need to get that bullet removed... "Meowth, the only reason your arms don't sag is because you don't even have enough muscles for that."

Meowth gave his human partner a mutinous glare while Luminia chuckled and nodded. Seeing this, Meowth felt a little hurt. "Hey, dat ain't nice."

"Meow...?" (Translation: And...?) Luminia asked, rubbing Meowth's cheek with her own and twining her yellow and brown tail with his.

Meowth felt a purr rise in his throat. James mimed barfing behind a nearby tree. Meowth glared at him again and said, "Now yous twos know how _I_ feel whenever you play kissy... then make the game suddenly intensify... by doing your little love ritual."

"**_IT'S CALLED 'MAKING OUT' AND NEXT TIME JUST LOOK AWAAAAAAAAY!!!"_** Jessie shrieked. She growled and swatted Meowth over the head with Madam Papier Fan. (Oh gosh I hope I spelt that right... T.T)

"I can't!!! It's too disturbing but I can't look away!!!" Meowth screamed, trying to defend himself against Jessie.

James and Luminia sweatdropped along with Ash, Misty and Brock. (well... Brock was actually too busy with a certain police woman named Jenny.) Luminia quickly ducked out of the way and scratched Jessie's leg. Jessie shrieked and stopped atacking Meowth. Meowth gulped. "Lumie, I ttink you may ahve made a fatal mistake."

Jessie's eyes burned with fire. "YOU INSOLENT LITTLE-"

"Jessie, Jessie, JessieJessieJessie!" James ran over and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Please, calm down, uh-"

"SHE RUINED MAH BEAUTY!!!"

(Everyone sweatdrops)

"She doesn't know the consiquences!" Meowth leaped in front of Luminia. "Please, spare her!"

Jessie stopped and raised an eyebrow. Her face took on the sort of look that Giovanni gave them whenever he was contemplating giving them a second chance. "...Alright. I'll spare you insolent morons this time. But next time I expect you to succeed! You know what happens to those who fail me..." Jessie froze. "Did I just give a Giovanni Speech...?

James nodded and said, "Yes, you did. It was a bit creepy because when you said it your voice kinda darkened and I swore it was Inna- Uhh, I mean, GIOVANNI talking." He laughed nervously.

Meowth trembled. "Were you about to say..." he looked at Jessie and Misty, the two of them thinking the same thing as him, "...Innav?"

James' face went pale. _Do they know?_ he wondered. "Uh, no! Who's Innav?"

Jessie looked worried and felt worried too. _Is he Ankoku? Is he my enemy? But... my enemy would have let me die when those people were shooting at us! He wouldn't... _then she stopped herself. _What if he's Ankoku and he doesn't know that I'm Kayana? That's probably the case... _she frowned. _Are we forbidden to love each other after all? Is it a modern-day version of Romeo and Juliet? Why is this happening? Haven't I suffered enough? Can't I be happy in this world? I only came here to escape the tragedies that happened in the sea! Why is this world bent on hurting me too? Aqua Regina, what do you have against me!?_

"You okay, Jessie?"

"Huh?" Jessie snapped out of her thoughts and realized she was crying. "Uh... yeah, I'm fine. Where are the twerps?"

"They left," James jerked his thumb in the direction where Ash, Misty and Brock left. "It's just us four again."

Jessie nodded. "James?"

"Yeah?" James asked, smiling. "What do you need?"

"I need to ask you a question."

"Go ahead, Jess," James looked at her.

"...How did Janet die?"


	2. Chapter 2

Uhhh... yeah. So I wrote a really short chappie, but it has quite the twistaroo in it! A major cliffie! A turning point! (goes on and on until your ears are ringing with the sound of my lovely voice) (LOVELY, HAH!! Lovely my foot. T.T)

James gulped. "Uh... her..." then he remembered Janet's body in Sheshe's arms... and he remembered a huge gash on her neck! "Her throat was slit." He wanted to go to Jessie, shake her, tell her that it was Giovanni who killed her, that it was Innav and Janet was Jaja. He wanted to tell her that he was Ankoku and he had to protect her... then a voice nagged him in the back of his mind: _You can't do that you moron! She'll think you're trying to hurt her and leave you..._

Then a second voice came in: _You selfish ass. I can see that some of that snobby rich additude is still somewhere in you._

The first voice came in again: _What?! What does being snobby and rich have to do with it?! I'm just scared of losing her! We belong together!_

Whoever possessed the second voice seemed to snort. _If you belong, why are they really enemies, huh? HUH?! It's insane!_

The tone of the first voice suggested that its owner was rolling its eyes. O_h, shut up. It's love. Love is insane. If it wasn't insane, Jessibelle wouldn't be Jessibelle. You know how insane her love is..._

Second Voice Owner laughed. _Good one. Wait, why am I arguing with myself? JAMES!!! Stop thinking!_

"She... she had her troat slit?!" Meowth said sadly, looking down. "Who would do dat? Why would dey kill Jan?"

Jessie shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe she quit too."

James shook his head. "Nah, she wouldn't. She was Giovanni's favorite." _That is, _he added to himself, s_he was until she defied him and tried to protect me..._

Jessie looked puzzled. "James... what did you do?"

James smiled nervously. "Whatever do you mean, Jessie?"

"You look..." Jessie paused, "..guilty."

James froze. "Uhhh... no I don't."

Jessie looked at her fiance with a face that said "tell me the truth". "James..." she warned sternly, raising her fist. "What is going on? Did you..." her face fell as she whispered silenty, "did you kill her?"

James was quite taken aback. "No! I wouldn't kill Janet, not even if I didn't like her very much! How dare you accuse me? I'm not a killer!"

"Then why aren't you telling the truth?" Jessie asked, looking a bit hurt.

"...I can't."

Jessie crossed her arms. "Can't or won't?"

"Can't."

Meowth gulped. Was James being disloyal to Jessie?

Jessie echoed her guardian's thoughts. "...Are you cheating? WERE YOU CHEATING ON ME WITH JANET?!"

"Holy crap woman, she was ELEVEN!!" James shouted, his eyes burning with green fire.

"Then why are you lying?!"

James didn't answer for a while. Finally, he spoke: "You don't trust me."

Jessie's eyes emptied of all warm feelings and filled with a blue ice so cold it burned. "No. I don't." With that, she turned and walked away, something dropping from her ungloved hand. James bent down to see what had just fallen on the ground. When he looked at it, his stomach twisted and sadness squeezed his heart with it's cold hands which James knew would probably never ever let go because of what had just fallen on the ground.

It was Jessie's ring.

...

OMG!! I cried when I wrote that last part...

I'M SO SORRY ALL YOU ROCKETSHIPPERS!! Maybe if you send me a review I'll bring them back together in the end...

Maybe. B)

(Heh heh, I'm so evil! I'm only gonna continue once someone other than Wolfy leaves me review. I want to be reassured she's not the only one reading... that would make me sad if she was. ;_;)


	3. Chapter 3

Well, it's finally here! At long last, THE THIRD CHAPPIE OF THE FIFTH BOOK IN TH ROCKET CHRONICLES SERIES!!! YAYZ!! Erm... (cough) Anywho, just for a summary: Jessie asks how Janet got killed then James does something wrong and she throws down her ring and walks away. Got it? Goooood.

...

Jessie looked behind her. _Good, _she thought, _he isn't following me. Boy, if he thinks I'm gonna take that ring back, he's sadly mistaken. What is so important that he has to hide it from me? He is- WAS my fiance after all. Why couldn't he tell me? _She sighed angrily. She had expected James to come running after her, telling her to come back. Of course, she would have said "No, you moron, I will not come back," but she still would have been comforted by the fact James _did_ love her, after all.

But he wasn't racing after her. Did that mean he didn't love her? Did that mean he was happy to have her out of his way? She slowed to a stop and looked back again. No James.

_No, Jessie. You're an idiot,_ she told herself. She heard his words echo in her head:

**_"You don't trust me."_**

The words seemed more out of cold, icy anger than emotional pain. He said it with the coldness of an Articuno's blizzard attack, with the coldness of Jessie's heart when she threw down her ring... the ring itself was lovely, a tourmaline (it was her birthstone) in the shape of a heart, with three diamonds on each side. She hated to lose it.

_Because I still love James or merely because it was pretty?_

She was too lost in her thoughts to notice the figure behind her. Before you could say "ocean", she was hit on the back of her head and she tumbled to the floor. Something landed on top of her, knocking the scream from her lungs.

...

"I have _really _done it this time."

_Dat's an understatement, James, _Meowth thought, holding back a snort. He patted James' shoulder and smiled comfortingly. "Ah, don't worry Jim. It's gonna be fine. Jess just got mad-"

James wiped away a tear. "Mad enough to end our engagement. Now I know how Jessibelle felt when I broke it off with her... Except I wasn't tossing a whip at her and asking Paul if I could borrow his emo corner." He shuddered at the memory.

Meowth cringed. He himself had never been whipped, but he had seen the scars it left on James' back and he didn't want to share the experience with his green-eyed friend. "Ow."

James shrugged. "She didn't hit me, but still, it was terrifying. Then she tackled me. It took my mother, father, Growly, and about eight firemen to pull her off me."

"Firemen?" Meowth asked, blinking his blue eyes in confusion.

"Ash Ketchum strikes again." James chuckled, despite his predicament.

Meowth merely nodded. "Ya betta keep dat ring. Y'know, just in case."

James nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll do that."

Meowth smiled. At least James was cheering up a little bit, which was a major improvment considering what had happened it him. Possessed, nearly killed, kidnapped, nearly killed again, amnesia, guilt trips, shot, and finally, totally rejected by his girlfriend. That's what Meowth called a bad past few weeks... and a year. "Jim, do ya tink we could try to get to da hospital now? To get dat bullet removed?"

James shook his head, for once happy he was what he was. _As the legends state,_ "_**Ankoku is immortal, except when struck with the Nightsword**", _he thought. _...Whatever that Nightsword thing is, anyway._

Meowth sighed. "Yer stubborn, Jimmy. We hafta get it removed-"

"Not till I get Jessie back."

Normally, this would have made Meowth break out in a lovey-dovey chant, but this time, he just sweatdropped. "Stuuuu-born," he sat down on the grass. "She went dat way. Tell me when ya have her, kays?" He licked a paw and started grooming himself.

James didn't fall for that one. "No, you're coming too, you lazy little furball," he said, scooping up Meowth and putting the cat on his good shoulder. "Come on, we're all in this together."

Meowth sighed again, then shrugged. "Fine, I'll come with you, but what's in it for me?"

James thought for a bit. "When we get a house, we'll have a fireplace in it so you can sleep by it."

Meowth's eyes widened. "A big one?"

"Sure."

"DEN LET'S GO!!" Meowth tugged on James' hair as if he were jeking on the reins of a ponyta. "Onward, minons!"

James looked at Meowth and said, "What the hell was that?"

Meowth sweatdropped. "Nevermind. Just go."


	4. Chapter 4

James grinned. "Nice one. Another Meowth-is-gonna-rule-the-world fantasy?"

Mewoth sweatdropped. "Uh... yeah, pretty much. So, should we get going now?"

James nodded. "Let's take Luminia," he looked around for the female meowth. "Uh... where is she?"

Meowth turned around and scanned the path. "I dunno, Jimmy. ... HEY!! Who's dat?!" He pointed to a dark green bush, and hiding in that bush was a grey figure slightly resembling a Meowth with black eyes. The figure gasped and ducked into the bush. "I know yer dere!" Meowth called.

The figure slowly emerged from the bush and hung it's grey head. "Do you not recognize me?" she asked, her voice soft and light.

James turned to look at the speaker. His stomach did a 360. He knew that cat. _That's Moonshadow, _he thought. _My guardian. _He remembered what happened when he was just a small boy, just after his mother gave the news that his brother would be king instead of him.

**Ankoku swam away from the underwater palace, fuming. Mizurio was going to be king, and what was he going to be? A shadow, slowly fading into the backround. _Mizurio, _thought Ankoku. He turned around to look at was once his home. He felt his heart lurch. _Mark my words, brother, _he thought sollemely, _you will be sorry you ever topped me. No matter how far you are, Mizurio, you will not forget me. Ever! _He swam away, crying, until he reached some ruins in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. "Sheshe!" he called, scanning the ruins. "Where are you?"**

**A small figure in red emerged from a dark cave a few feet away from Ankoku. It was the twelve-year-old Sheshe, who smiled warmly. "Ankoku? What are you doing here?"**

**Ankoku looked down. "Mother... she said that Mizurio would be king instead of me!" he sobbed. "It's because of my eyes! What's wrong with my eyes, Sheshe?"**

**Sheshe's blue eyes narrowed. "Mizurio," she spat, saying the name as though it burned her tounge. "That goody-goody little..." She clenched her fists. "I have no idea what's wrong with your eyes. I personally think they're quite lovely," she smiled, and all of her hate for Mizurio evaporated. "Mimi is fine, and she had red eyes too." She took Ankoku's wrist. "We have a couple of surprises for you."**

**Ankoku nodded. "Do you mind if I stay with you? I no longer belong with Mother and Mizurio."**

**"Not at all," Sheshe shook her head. "Stay long as you like, Anko-kun."**

**Ankoku smiled. Anko-kun was Sheshe's nickname for him. "Thanks, Sheshe-chan."**

**"No problem." Sheshe led him into the cave, and in the back was a small glowing infant, surrounded by a strange, blood-red light. The light was the same dark red color as Ankoku's eyes. It seemed to light up the cave. "This," Sheshe motioned over to the small girl, "is the newest Black Beauty Sister: Jaja."**

**"Jaja?" Ankoku asked, leaning closer. "How close is she to formation?"**

**Sheshe shrugged. "Two or three days, I imagine. She's still a Soulspirit, but she's very close to life. I can feel it."**

**Ankoku looked the small figure over. Small locks of deep red hair (the only thing setting it apart from the light was that it was a bit lighter) framed two closed eyes. The infant was clothed in an immodest black suit. Ankoku guessed it was made out of some sort of waterproof leather. It showed the infant's belly button and most of her legs. She opened her eyes. Ankoku's heart ached a bit. That baby-blue color was almost identical to Mizurio's eyes. Jaja smiled at him and gave a small sound of laughter. She reached a small, pudgy hand at him, and cocked her head in curiousity. "What's she doing?" Ankoku asked.**

**Mimi came up from behind Sheshe. Sheshe squealed. "She's taking form!"**

**"Truly!"**

**Sheshe gave Mimi a look that was a mix of exasperation and irriation. Then her attention turned back to Jaja. "Ankoku! Step back over with us. You're too close."**

**Ankoku nodded, and quickly went back to stand beside Sheshe and her younger, blue-haired sister.**

**What happened next was something that left Ankoku amazed. The light slowly expanded until it filled the cave with a radiant, scarlet brightness. A swirling black mass came and enveloped the small infant. Ankoku shrieked. "What's happeneing to her!? She'll suffocate!"**

**Sheshe giggled. "That's right, you've never seen a Formation before, have you? That's the thing that give her her Lifeforce."**

**"Oh."**

**The black shape grew, until it resembled a five-year old girl. The black shape slowly faded, leaving a girl with the same eyes as the infant, but her hair was longer, reaching her shoulders. The hair was straight and shiny, as if a cluster of stars shone within it. Her suit still showed her belly button, but now she wore black gloves reaching her forearms and boots up to her kneecaps. She stood up, shaking.**

**Sheshe bowed. "I, Sheshe Yarru Simal, as the eldest Black Beauty Sister, welcome you, Jaja Kagimi Simal, into this world," she stated.**

**Mimi did the same. "I, Mimi Sarro Simal, will sacrifice my role as the youngest Black Beauty Sister to allow you, Jaja Kagimi Simal, to come into this world.**

**Sheshe elbowed Ankoku. "Now, say this as you bow: _'I, Ankoku Kyo Tsubassa, as the King of the Dark Sea, welcome you, Jaja Kagimi Simal, into this world as the youngest Black Beauty Sister."_**

**Ankoku jumped. "King of the Dark Sea?!" he asked.**

**Sheshe nodded. "Oh... that's right. I forgot the Acceptance Ritual. Oh, well. Say it now."**

**Ankoku jumped and bowed. "I, Ankoku Kyo Tsubassa, as the King of the Dark Sea, welcome you, Jaja Kagimi Simal, into this world as the youngest Black Beauty Sister."**

**Jaja looked delighted. She bowed as the other three had. "I, Jaja Kagimi Simal, accept you, Sheshe Yarru Simal and you, Mimi Sarro Simal, as my elder sisters."**

**Sheshe turned to Ankoku. "Now, for the Acceptance Ritual. Jaja, would you care to join us?"**

**Jaja nodded and ran over. Sheshe's hands reached out in front of her and an orb of black light erputed from them and raced towards Ankoku at the speed of... well, light. Ankoku screamed. "What's going on?" he shrieked, the black ord surrounding him like an ebony bubble.**

**Sheshe giggled again. "Don't panic, Anko-kun. It's all a part of the Ritual."**

**Ankoku nodded. Somehow, he knew just what to day. "Do you, eldest Black Beauty Sister Sheshe Yarru Simal, as an inhabitant of the Dark Sea, accept me as your King?"**

**Sheshe held her hands up, still casting the black orb. "I do."**

**Ankoku turned to Mimi. "Do you, Middle Black Beauty Sister Mimi Sarro Simal, as an inhabitant of the Dark Sea, accept me as your King?"**

**"Truly, I do," Mimi said gleefully.**

**Ankoku noticed Sheshe's wince of irritation. "Do you, youngest Black Beauty Sister Jaja Kagimi Simal, accept me as your King?"**

**Jaja nodded. "I do," she whispered, her blue eyes full of admiation.**

**"Then I, Ankoku Kyo Tsubassa, will take my seat upon the Throne of the Night and lead you with a heart of black ice until the day I die." _How do I know these words? _he wondered. _I've never said these words before. Is it because I'm born to be the Dark King? _He noticed everyone was on the floor, bowing down to him as if they were worshiping him. "Get up," he murmured, blushing. "Please."**

**The three of them jumped up. Sheshe turned to her sister. "Mimi, would you care to present him with his gift?"**

**Mimi nodded. "I, Mimi Sarro Simal, present you, Dark King, with this Guardian to help you all your days," she said, and she held up her hands as Sheshe had hers. A small grey kitten materialized out of thin air and landed next to Ankoku. "Oh, Dark King, I request you name this Guardian, as she will be yours until your dying day."**

**Ankoku nodded. "I will accept your request. My Guardian, as of this moment, will be known as Moonshadow until I perish and she fades into stardust."**

James held back a few tears. That day had been the best day of his life. He had watched the Formation of Jaja, been accepted as a King, and been given a Guardian. Moonshadow looked at him expactantly. "Well?" she prodded. James nodded. Moonshadow looked pleased. "May I come with you on your quest?"

Meowth blinked. "Uhhh... shoir ting, what-her-face."

"The name is Moonshadow," Moonshadow said, the irritation in her voice unmissable. "I know where this girl you call 'Jessie' is, and I can help you find her."

"You know where she is?!" James exclaimed. When Moonshadow nodded, he asked, "Where?"

"She has been kidnapped."


	5. Chapter 5

FINALLY!! :)

...

James felt his heart stop for a split second. "K- kidnapped?!" he shouted. "What? This is all my fault. If I hadn't made her mad..."

Moonshadow sighed, annoyed. "So much for a 'heart of black ice'."

James drew his finger across his neck when Meowth looked away, silently begging Moonshadow to shut her mousetrap. Moonshadow realized the command and nodded silently. James looked relieved.

Meowth looked Moonshadow up and down. "Say, you look mighty familier, Moony. Have I seen you before, too?"

"MOONY?!"

James nearly had a heart attack. "No no no no no, you haven't seen her before, Meowth, except maybe in romantic dreams!"

Meowth looked horrified. "No! I only dream of Luminia... hey, you look like Luminia a lot!" He took a step back (and fell off of James' shoulder). Then he walked over to Moonshadow and squinted his blue eyes. "Hey... you do look like Luminia quite a bit."

Moonshadow looked scared. _Oh, sweet Aqua Regina, don't let Meowth's love... crush... whatever... don't let her be Moonshadow... _James pleaded silently. _Why is it that everyone I meet, they turn out to be somebody from the sea, a human enemy who's my ally in the sea... Human friends who are supposed to be my enemies... and lovers who are supposed to be the one I set out to capture when I was under Innav's influence. What. The. Hell?_

"Gee, Jimmy, wat's eatin' you?" Meowth's voice jolted James from his thoughts.

"Uhhh... nothing, Meowth," he assured the scratch-cat pokemon. "Nothing. Just a bit frustrated that Jessie left..."

Moonshadow took her chance. "YES. And she's the one who's been captured, SO GET YOUR LAZY ASSES- " she looked at Meowth, "AND TAILS OUT IN THAT DIRECTION WHERE THE HUMAN WENT AND HELP HER!!"

James jumped and saluted. "Yes, Moonshadow!"

Moonshadow rolled her black eyes and murmured under her breath, "Some king you are..."

:::

Meowth hopped in front of James and opened his jaws to "taste the air". "Her scent trail stops here, Jim. This is where she was captured."

James looked left andright. "Where'd the nappers go?"

Meowth tasted the air again. "I smell two odda people. Dey went dat way," he pointed to his left.

James nodded, noticing some trampled bushes forming a path. "Do they smell familiar?" he asked.

Meowth thought for a bit. "One of dem smells a bit familiar, but the odda one isn't familiar at all."

James sighed. "Okay. Thanks anyway." He looked down the path the trampled bushes made. "Let's go, then." He scooped Meowth up and carried him, presing the feline against his chest. He followed the path, and life seemed to drain out of him as he walked. He wanted to stop, but his legs wouldn't obey him. He had to find Jessie.

Meowth noticed his friend's weariness. "Jimmy, you can always stop, ya know." As soon as the words left his mouth he knew that James, being James, would refuse to stop until he found Jessie. _Touching, _he thought_. Mushy, yes, stupid, oh GOD yes, but touching anyhow._

Just as Meowth predicted, James shook his head. "No, Meowth. I'm not stopping. For all we know, Jessie might be dead..." he gulped, "or worse."

Meowth nodded, although he knew that Jessie wan't dead. If she was killed, then the world would be bye-bye. He looked at Moonshadow, trying to remember where he'd seen her before. He knew that dark, scruffy face with the coal-black eyes. He just couldn't remember exactly who she was. It looked like she was doing the same with him. "Who are you?" he asked, whispering.

"Moonshadow, obviously," she breathed, getting lost in the feline's blue eyes. "Who are you?"

"Meowth, obviously," Meowth replied, making Moonshadow chuckle softly.

James rolled his eyes. "Okay, you two little lovers see if you can sniff out the scent of Jessie or maybe the nappers, okay?" he asked.

Meowth saluted and hopped down from James' arms alongside Moonshadow. Moonshadow, being the one with the nose, sniffed around for a while. "I smell nothing, My Lord." She bowed her head, then felt Meowth's questioning glance.

"Yeesh, Moonshadow, it's not like yer talkin' to a King or anyting..." Meowth rolled his blue eyes.

James gulped. "Yeah... what's up with that?"

Meowth looked at James in a funny way and nodded. "Yeah, dere's no scent at all."

James sighed and looked around. "I wonder where they went," he thought aloud, not talking to anyone in partucular. "But, if I know Jessie, she would have screamed bloody murder. They must have gagged her."

"Nice observation, Sherlock," Meowth gave James a dull look and tried his luck at the air tasting thing. "Not a ting at all, Jim. I tink we're out of luck."

James heard Moonshadow giggle a bit. "What?" he asked her.

Moonshadow shrugged. "Oh, nothing. Something funny," she said, winking at Meowth and motioning to her mouth. Meowth then flicked some dirt off his face.

James blinked, then shrugged. "Now I know how you felt whenever Jessie and I used to..." he trailed off. "When we DO," he corrected himself, "things like play little games of kissy."

Meowth nodded. "Yuppers. Oh, Jim?"

"Yeah?"

"I know where Jess is."

James' green eyes nearly popped out of his head. "WHERE!?"

"I think she's over dere," Meowth said, pointing to a building. "In the middle of a forest, I tink dat castle made of onyx looks a tad out of place."


	6. Chapter 6

James immediately felt stupid for not noticing the gigantic black castle before. "Right," he mumbled, "I knew that."

Meowth smiled smugly. "Riiight. I just hope they don't have pocketknifes, because-"

James interrupted Meowth be shaking him vigorously. "I WAS FLIPPIN' POSSESSED. POSSESSED. WHAT PART OF THAT DON'T YOU UNDRSTAND?? ...AND GET THAT SMUG LOOK OFF YOUR FACE, OR I'LL SMACK IT OFF."

Meowth immediately stopped laughing at his friend's stupidity. "O- o- o- o- o-kay!!" he shouted, surprised at James' outbusrt.

James stopped shaking Meowth and dropped the feline (who's eyes were now just swirls) and looked at the castle. The sky was clouded over, making the towering palace even more ominous than it naturally would in sunlight. The air turned suddenly chilly as a freak gust of wind blew like a cold whisper. "Uhhh... well... in we go," said James. He gulped as he took a step forward.

Meowth sighed. "You're da stupidest human of dem all, Jimmy. Even if it was Luminia or Moonshadow in dere I wouldn't go afta her..." (Moonshadow clocked him one over the head with one of her paws at this.)

"Then you've never really been in love with them," James retorted. "If you were, Meowth, you would do anything just to hold them for another day."

Meowth jabbed a finger in his mouth as if to throw up on the ground. Moonshadow chuckled softly.

James glared at him. "Fine, I'll go in alone then, and when you finally grow up you can follow me in if you want," he growled and looked for an opening or something of the sort. He climbed up little juts in the wall (he was a bit surprised he could do this) and spotted a window. He kicked it open with his foot and jumped in, wincing as he knocked his shoulder on the frame. He cried out in pain when a piece of glass cut deeply into his wrist as he fell on the cold stone floor on bits of glass from the window. He got up and brushed himself off.

"Jimmy?" The word echoed around the empty room, the sound only absorbed a little bit by the gruesome pictures on the walls.

James turned around. Meowth was standing on the windowsill James had just fallen off of.

"I grew up," the feline said simply.

James smiled. "Thank you."

Meowth hopped down from the ledge. "When you went in by yourself, you scared da life outta me, James. Especially when I heard you yelp... I tought you got caught..." he whimpered a bit uncharacteristically, looking down.

James scratched Meowth behind the ears. "Oh, I just got a cut on my..." he looked at the large amount of crimson blood staining his sleeve, "...wrist..."

"EMO LIKE?!" Meowth screeched, his purring stopping abruptly as James stopped scratching his head.

"No!" James looked horrified by the suggestion. "And will you keep it down? We could get caught."

Meowth hopped on James' good shoulder and looked at the sleeve. "Holy Dark Sea, dat's deep!"

"Dark Sea?" James stifled a moan. That was proof Meowth was ANOTHER one of his enemies. Crap.

Meowth sweatdropped. "I mean... uh... Hell."

"Sure," James muttered sadly. "Where's Moonshadow?"

"Right here," Moonshadow said, coming out of nowhere and landing on James' bad shoulder.

"Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww..." James whined.

"Sorry..." Moonshadow rolled her eyes. "Follow me. I know this place like the back of my paw," she bragged, hopping down onto the gray floor. "We probably either want to look in the dungeon or the interriagion room."

"Okay," James started, "I know this castle must have that torture sort of dungeon with the rusty chains and bloodstained walls and yada yada yada, and all that cliche story fairy-tale crap. Okay. But an interrigation room? That's pretty imaginaive and off-the-wall, if you ask me."

Moonshadow blinked. Meowth whispered in her ear, "He reads a lot."

Moonshadow nodded. "I can tell," she muttered. "Yeah, there's an interrigation room, usually where they take enemies to make them reveal weaknesses."

"Quite out of the ordinary," James looked down the hallway. "Whers do you think she is? Dungeon?"

"That would very likely be out best bet."

James nodded. "Lead the way," he requested.

Moonshadow smiled. "As you wish," she said. She padded down the hall, James and Meowth at her heels. Suddenly, she stopped and waved her tail, warning them. "Guards," she whispered. "Meowth, get behind James. NOW."

Meowth nodded and obeyed.

Moonshadow hopped onto James' good shoulder and nuzzled his cheek. "Ask where they are keeping Kayana. I know she's here. If they ask why you're in this form, tell them Kayana's human form will be fooled by this," she whispered, careful not to let Meowth hear. "And remember, you're supposed to have a heart of black ice. Be cruel and to the point."

James felt a bit nervous as the black-armoured guards rounded the corner. Meowth found a crack in the wall and hid inside it, and as a result, he couldn't hear a word being said. "King!" the guards exclaimed, dropping to the floor.

"Get up, you idiots," James commanded, surprised by how deep his voice had suddenly gone. "I'm sure I informed you not to do so. I feel it demeaning to the Dark Sea. You do not need to bow, it is Mizurio and all his pathetic subjects who has to bow to me." The guards did not move. "GET UP!!"

The guards jumped to their feet immediately. "Yes, yes, of course, Sir," one of them chuckled nervously. "What brings you here?"

"I live here, you fool," James snapped. "Where is the prisoner?"

The guard on the left gulped. "The mermaid?"

"Of course! Who do you think I was asking about, Binky the Clown?" James snorted. "You two are pathetic. Take me to her."

They nodded simultaniously. "Sir, may I ask you why you are in your human form?"

"Kayana's human form is in love with mine. This way I can trick her," James explained, feeling horrible for even thinking of manipulating Jessie. He saw Moonshadow telling Meowth to stay put. She bounded towards him and hopped onto his good shoulder.

"Nice job with the guards," she whispered in his ear. "You're getting the hang of it."

James looked a bit concerned. "I think the dark side of my mind took over. I couldn't control what came out..."

"That's a good sign!"

_For you, maybe, _James thought. _I don't want to be a monster..._

The guard opened the door to the prison. "She's in here," he said, as the other one smiled nervously and shuffled away.

The door lead into a narrow hallway that was dimly lit, at best. There were torches on the walls (_What a cliche, _James thought.) but they died out after the second or third one down. The walls were hard with onyx and obsodian. James faced the guard. "I'll go alone from here."

The guard looked somewhat relieved. "New guy?" James asked, irritated.

Moonshadow nodded.

James stepped into the narrow hallway, placing his hands on the walls subconcously. The hallway widened as he went down. The dungeon itself (which he found after falling down around 12 flights of concrete steps) was lit with a dark, red light, the color of the blood on his sleeve. He looked around. "Jessie?" he called.

"...James?"


	7. Chapter 7

"Jessie!" James shouted, rushing over to a bloody figure sitting (sitting wasn't the right word, perhaps- it was really lying, her upper body just held up by the dark wall.) in the corner. "Is... is that you?"

"No, Sherlock, I'm friggin' Sailor Moon. Of course it's me," Jessie snapped sarcastically. Then she sighed. "I... I'm sorry... I should be grateful. I mean, I just broke your heart and walked away, and you still came for me..." She buried her head in her hands, which were matted with fresh, dark blood. "I am truly sorry, James..."

James shook his head and bent down on his knees so he looked Jessie in the eye now. "No, Jessie, don't apologize. I'm the one who should be sorry," he whispered. "I feel horrible not telling you what happened, but I can't. I know that if I do, it will only hurt you more," he said, taking her ungloved hands. Her face now had red handprints on it. "Come on, we need to get out of here. Can you walk?"

Jessie shrugged her bruised shoulders. "I don't really know," she admitted, standing up. She took a few steps around. "Yeah, I guess I'm fine..." her voice trailed off when she noticed James' sleeve. "James, you're bleeding!" She grabbed his sleeve and pulled it up. "My god, what happened?"

James gave Jessie a look that was a mixture of humor and concern. "Sure, I'm bleeding. And you're not?" he asked. "I think my one wound is a little more minor than your many many deep gashes."

"What about that bullet in your shoulder?"

"It's fine, Jessie," James assured her. "Anything broken?"

"No, you just mended my heart, and that was the only thing ever broken," Jessie held back tears.

"Riiiight, can we move along now?" Moonshadow asked, rolling her eyes.

Jessie jumped when she heard the voice. "Oh, dear sweet Bright Sea, Meowth got transformed into a female... uh... cat-thingy... O.o;"

"T.T My name is Moonshadow, dingus," Moonshadow hissed, her lips drawing back in the beginnings of a snarl.

James sweatdropped. "Can you two just get along for now? Please? Until we get out of here. And Jessie," James instructed, "if the guards see us, predend I'm taking you against your will. Got it?"

Jessie nodded. "I can't believe you still care, James..."

"I will always care," James said. "Come on."

:::

"I wonder whateva happened to dat casserole..."

Meowth pondered the fate of his cheesy friend while waiting in the crevice in the wall for his friends to return with Jessie, or- if things were as bad as James suspected- her body. It had been countless hours since he was in this crack, and he could hear nothing but the odd rattata squeaking in wonder seeing this meowth in the wall. All he did was see. And all he saw now was a black slab of wall on the other side of the hallway.

How long had it been since Moonshadow had told him to stay put in case the guards notcied him? An hour? Two hours? A day? He had completely lost all sense of time. All he knew was that he was alone- alone in this large, dark castle with nothing to comfort him.

A sudden thought struck him. What if James was dead? What if the guards had killed him? Would he have been able to hear the scream, although he heard nothing else in this dark place? He looked out the window James had broken into. He saw a single, glimmering star in the distance. "Yer lucky," he whispered. "You don't have to worry about much, sittin' up dere in da sky all day..."

Suddenly, Moonshadow's face popped up out of nowhere. "Meowth!" she hissed. "We found Jessie! Come on!"

Meowth grinned. "About time," he purred, crawling out of the crack in the wall. "I tought you wouldn't come back."

Jessie looked at Meowth. "Wow, I'm even happy to see YOU," she blinked. "That's just... odd."

"Dat hoit."

Jessie sniggered.

James looked up at the window. "Moonshadow, would we be able to get out that way?"

Moonshadow examined the window. "I think so, just be careful not to cut yourself," she said, glancing at James' bloodstained sleeve.

James got the hint. "It happened when I fell on the ground, Moonshadow."

"Whatever."

James started to climb up the wall and when he reached the black sill, he grabbed Jessie's hand and helped her up. Her bloody hand left a crimson print on his sleeve. Moonshadow and Meowth then hopped up and they all fell, hard, on the dark green ground which used to be 10-20 feet below them. (Ow.) James felt his pocket.

The ring was still there.

James had to admit, he was amazed the ring had stayed with him after all the falls and things he had gone through in the past few hours. The moon was full- it illuminated Moonshadow's grey fur and Jessie's pink hair, making it look like a gigantic, sparkling tourmaline on her head.

Maybe it was just all the hairspray shining? Ah, oh well. Big deal. He faced her. "Jessie," he pleaded, "will you forgive me?"

Jessie looked genuinely surprised. "Forgive _you?! _I stormed away from you, broke your heart and made you risk life and..." she glanced at his shoulder, "...limb for me, and you ask ME to forgive YOU?! James, i'm the one who should be in hot water!"

"If I hadn't made you mad-"

Jessie silenced him by raising her hand. "Yes, James. Yes, I forgive you, although there's no faults to forgive."

"Then I shall return this to you, if you allow me to."

Jessie was puzzled. "Return wha..." her voice trailed off. "I can't believe you kept that. I thought you had given up on me..."

"The day I give up on you will be the day Meowth barks," Jsmes retorted. "Do you wish to... continue our relationship as ficances?"

Jessie nodded. "Of course."

James smiled and they flew into eachother's arms, but the moment was not to last. Jessie felt a bullet graze her hair. The holder of the gun was a figure in the bushes.

"Jessica," it said.

"Cassidy!"


End file.
